The weekly Union times. [volume] (Union C.H., South Carolina) 1871-1894, 1887-04-15
rhs Iniauitis, Of 81. Exodu..


s.Southeastern Passenger Agent for the Mem
phis and Little Rock Road ha, seen proper
10 give what he calls '.the truth of the matter"
in tho Nsps and Courier, and our much respect
ed contemporary, the Greenville NsiOs, has as
sumed to say, that "he is right" and without
knowing the inside "truth'' of the matter,
Z ,ads the people Of Union q moral, or political,
lecture upon their conduct, we feel il our duty
TO give Q true und uuvaruished statement Of the
facts.
In the first place II is proper t. state that in
the early part Of the month of January there
was but little disposition among the negroes in
this county to make contracts for the year, but
before the month was out o great change came
over them in that respect, and they were an Z
ious TO make contracts. The reason Of this
change soon came to light. The Arkansas peo-
pie did not want to feed them until their work
was needed on their farms out there, and the
eoiored local agent here,-appointed by Williams
Informed the negroes Of that fact, and sdvis.
cd them to mako contracts, 30 that they could
get supplies, house rent &c., from the farmers
here until the gospel train came for them about
March. All this was q Uuion league secret
no one but the negroes aad the agent knew
who was going on II.
The first train took off from Is to 20 hands
| under contract, and so secretly was it accom-
| plished that not one Of the farmers who had
contracted with them, and who lived from three
TO FIVE miles in the country, had the slightest
| intimation OF their intention to leave.
How then, could they have procured
the necessary papers from Trial Justices to
detain them? It is oil nousenco to talk about
! calling on Trial Justices in such q case; there
was neither time, warning ncr oppor tunity
given the employers to prevent il It was
| deeply planned scheme to cheat the employers
hsre out Of two or three monih, provisions and
then steal away during tho dark hours of the
| night. II this fellow Williams did not plan
tho scheme, his colored ngont did, and he said
| he was acting under instruct, ,ns from his en-
ployer.
The Greenvills Neus says: All this talk
about taking away laborers under contract
| Is moonshine. Everybody knows such labor
ers cao, In this State, be held by any Trial
Justice and that persons snticing them away
| can be punished.
That's oil good logic among ourselves, whom
the laborer and the party enti:ing him remains
with US for the law to catch. But they did not
leave on moonshins nights; each night was as
dark as pitsh, sad when the orime was discov-
cred, both lsheser and agent were for beyond
the reach of South Carolina Trial Justice.
The only plan We can think of, that would
have met the case, was for every person liSing
within ten miles Of the town TO havel been ut
the depot when the cars arrived. with q war
rant and constable. prepared TO arrest every
employee they had under contract.
There's no use denying there was somo eI-
eitemsnt here. for while the exodus lasted every
farmer In the o,unty wlat 70 bed at night un-
der the fear that he would not find q Iaborer ON
his farm the next morning.
As few instances of the way our farmers
we're cheated out of their money and the labor
they had contracted for by the work Of thi,
man, Williams, we give the following:
One man who owed his employer $40 for
last year and was under contract for this, came
to town with his employer on the 10Th of March,
remained in town after the latter left AID went
off on the very train that Williams says "there
was not one of them under contract" and Will
liams gave him ticket.
A widow lady sent two hands, under con-
tract, to town for their weeks rations. They
took their rations, Williams gave them tickets,
and they went off on the train.
One farmer about miles from town, came
from the field in the evening with Eve hands,
under contract, fed the stock, gave instructions
for the next days work, but when morning
came he had not hand on the place-all had
sone OF on the train while the farmer W as
asleep. Williams gave them their tickets.
% Ofour own knowledge, oil the laborers, under
contract, on six farms within ten miles of this
town, received tickets from the agent and wen
Oh on the emigrant trains.
But the whole affair rests under o very dark
cloud, SO far as the agent, Williams is concerned
init. The white people Of Union are not
sreaghs," as this man calls us, but law-abiding
citizens, fully appreciating the rights Of the
laborers and rs ready to protect them
in their rights as any people in the
world. They neither claim the right. nor
do they wish to curtaiI the rights of
any freeman; but when n stranger olandestinely
invades their province and through IN ire
sponsible and secret agency inflicts a serious
blow upon their interests, ihoy dare to at least
warn the enemy that he is treading on danger.
Gus ground. We have no hesitancy in saving
that eight out Of every ten of the men taken
away BY Williams were under contract. No
doubt they lied about it to Williams, but Will
liams' agent knew it when no induced them
to 60.
But why so much secrecy about getting pas.
sengsrs for hia road' Why did he appoint q
negro as his agent? Aud why did he select the
dead hour Of night to carry off his pa,sen-